UPDATE! I rode pie run again last night and the Trailfairy JooJoo must have been in full force as I clipped a tree with the bars and went ar$e for t1t just before the rootsy "corner of doom"! Apart from a bruised ego and a scraped elbow I am fine though - I even laughed.

Lovely night though - deliverance and redemption were almost enjoyable!!...

The most commonly said thing about the Glentress black is probably that it's "mostly empty" or "you never see anyone on it". I think most times I've ridden it these cliches have been trotted out as I chat to the other riders on it, it's never as quiet as people think it is.

Well it turns out that its nothing to do with being a commercial forest. The only trees that are gone are right beside the trail, and it really does take away from the feel of it. On the other hand, they've also removed some that would be almost impossible to hit, which is odd

Aye, not too impressed tbh, mostly it's not that different but there's definite "feature trees" missing. Quite a lot of the more open feeling is just brashing rather than full tree felling though. Not sure who did the work, it doesn't feel like Andy Wardman's though, bit slapdash.

sas78 - Member
...and a load of rubbish in the car park and the wee hut before the Ewok Village was covered with litter - WTF is wrong with people these days!?

I wasn't very impressed with that either. Why is it so much harder to carry empty packets and bottles than the full ones?

Northwind - Member

Aye, not too impressed tbh, mostly it's not that different but there's definite "feature trees" missing. Quite a lot of the more open feeling is just brashing rather than full tree felling though. Not sure who did the work, it doesn't feel like Andy Wardman's though, bit slapdash.

Yet I was on the same ride but didn't really experience any effect from the missing trees. Except for one or two I'm not sure I'd have noticed the change except that I was looking for it. Probably goes to show how differently people can perceive the same thing.

On the other hand the brashing was definitely not up to its usual standards seeing as just after That Bit one branch got stuck in my helmet vents and tried to pull it off my head!

ChrisL - aye, especially when they've just humpfed the stuff up redemption and it's pretty much all downhill home!!!

What is sad is that the Black Route is probably used by "bikers", not just casual trail centre users, and you'd think they'd want to keep their environment for their sport clean, wouldn't you?!...

It just staggers me how little some people care about littering. Do they think people are paid to run round after them clearing up, or that they should have bins everywhere?! I actually picked some of it up last night and felt a little embarrassed doing so. Why I do not know.

Yet I was on the same ride but didn't really experience any effect from the missing trees. Except for one or two I'm not sure I'd have noticed the change except that I was looking for it. Probably goes to show how differently people can perceive the same thing.

You didn't notice that lines were available that previous would've had you bouncing off trees?

When the day comes that every corner at Glentress has been replaced with an epic dickhead straightline that goes like an arrow from Spooky Woods to the cafe, and all of the corners have become forgotten and overgrown, there'll still be one man riding where the trail used to be. And swearing a lot.

legend - Member
You didn't notice that lines were available that previous would've had you bouncing off trees?

Hard to say. I don't think that my overall experience of riding the trail felt particularly different, though that doesn't necessarily mean I wasn't taking some different lines to usual. On the other hand I'm not wikkid awsum in the slightest and on a trail I know well I could mostly be shoring up my limited skills by riding a line slowly settled upon and memorised over the years.

On the other hand I was able to notice that Hop, Skip and Jump could now be reamed Hop, Skip, Jump and Won't Stay On The Trail, Even When There's Three Options And One Of Them Is Already a Chicken Run. Bah.

Northwind - Member

When the day comes that every corner at Glentress has been replaced with an epic dickhead straightline that goes like an arrow from Spooky Woods to the cafe, and all of the corners have become forgotten and overgrown, there'll still be one man riding where the trail used to be. And swearing a lot.